Launch of the Call for Coral Reef Projects

During the conference «Biodiversity: Toward a Successful Recovery in the Overseas Territories,» François de Rugy, Minister of State and Minister for the Ecological and Solidarity Transition, and Annick Girardin, Minister for Overseas Territories, announced the launch of a call for coral reef projects to support initiatives that help reduce the impact of pollution on coral reefs.

This call for proposals is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to protect biodiversity in the overseas territories.

The biodiversity plan, unveiled on July 4, 2018, sets a goal of protecting 1,00% of French coral reefs by 2025, with an interim target of 75% by 2021.

« There are many examples of innovative ideas for taking action in this direction in the overseas territories, which deserve to be supported and publicized so they can be replicated elsewhere. We felt it was crucial to encourage concrete actions to reduce the impact of land-based pollution, which is why our call for projects focuses exclusively on this area. » said François de Rugy.

« The Blue Book, which emerged from the Overseas Territories Conference, has made the preservation and promotion of biodiversity in the overseas territories a key focus of the policies to be implemented in those territories », says Annick Girardin. « In particular, the French Initiative for Coral Reefs (IFRECOR), funded by the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition and the Ministry of Overseas Territories, has been coordinating efforts in this area for more than 18 years. »

This call for proposals is aimed at concrete and immediate actions in the various overseas territories, aimed at reduce the impact of land-based pollution on coral reefs and associated ecosystems.

The territories covered by this call for proposals are Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Saint Martin, and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories.

The objective of this call for proposals is twofold:

• First, to reduce the sources of pressure from watersheds that cause chemical, biological, and/or physical pollution affecting coral reefs;
• on the other hand, to mitigate these impacts by supporting nature-based solutions—that is, actions that rely on ecosystems.

Project leaders have until December 18 to submit their applications.